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COVID-19 And The US Immigration Ban: The Plight Of International Students And IT Professionals

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US President Trump recently announced a temporary suspension of all immigration into the country. The announcement contained no specifics and was made as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the US economy. The move could affect around 660,000 people.

In the executive order suspending immigration temporarily, Trump also halted the issuing of the new green cards or legal permanent residency for the next 60 days.

According to the existing immigration law, the country can issue a maximum of 140,000 green cards (employment-based) every year. The per-country cap is seven percent.

While this is unlikely to affect the prospects of immigrants currently living in the USA in wait for a Green Card, it will affect prospective students and the working population.

US Immigration Ban, COVID 19 travel restrictions issued by India

Why The Ban?

Due to the pandemic, it is estimated that more than 22 million citizens have applied for unemployment benefits. The highest number ever. Millions more expected to be laid off in the coming weeks.

According to Trump, “A short break from new immigration, depending on the time we’re talking about, will protect the solvency of our healthcare system and provide relief to jobless Americans,”

US Immigration Ban – Fewer International Students

International students make a substantial contribution to the US economy. IT is important to note that tuition fees paid by international students are higher than those paid by domestic students.

Apart from tuition fees, international students also contribute to the economy by paying for hostel accommodation, apartment rentals, transportation, and meeting their day to day food and miscellaneous requirements. Find out COVID-19 Impact – What’s Ahead For International Students? and COVID-19 Impact On Foreign Students In the USA

If international students are not able to get H1B visas for suitable jobs in the USA after graduation, they will be likely to look elsewhere for their higher education. Check out the average monthly cost of living in the USA.

International Students In The USA – 2018-19 Academic Year

  • International Students In The USA: 1,095,299
  • International student’s contribution to the economy: $44.7 billion
  • Chinese Students: 369,548
  • India Students: 202,014
  • South Korea Students: 52,250
  • Saudi Arabian Students: 37,080
  • Canadian Students: 26,122

US Immigration Ban And The Uncertain H1B Visa

The IT sector will be significantly impacted by the suspension of the H1B visa program. For instance, 20% of the total H1B visas granted to Indians annually are for the IT sector. A number of Indian IT companies in the USA are working on filing H1B visa applications.

The deadline for these applications was earmarked as June 30th. Suspension of this visa program will affect their working population. The future of H1B visa holders currently in India may also be in limbo as their return to the USA becomes questionable.  

Indians In The USA

  • H1B Visa Holders: 600,000
  • Employer-Sponsored Green Card Backlog: 780,000
  • Family-Sponsored Green Card Backlog: 227,000
  • Indian Students On F1 Visa: 250,000 Approximately

Indians Received Employment-Based Green
Cards In Fiscal Year 2019

  • 9,008: category 1 (EB1)
  • 2,908: category 2 (EB2)
  • 083: category 3 (EB3) green cards

US Immigration Ban – Will The Impact Be Purely Positive For The USA?

The immigration ban will not only affect immigrants but will also affect the US economy. This may not be as positive as it was made out to be. Many of the migrants coming into the USA enter the country to meet domestic demand for high-skill and hard-to-fill jobs.

With a blanket ban on immigration, these positions may be difficult to fill. The loss of international students will have a significant impact on the US economy and thus, American universities will have to fight hard to attract international students.

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